New York Stories: Ophira Eisenberg shares a New York memory

Guest blogger Ophira Eisenberg tells us about a subway interaction that reminded her why she loves New York City.

Welcome to "New York Stories," in which some of our favorite New Yorkers tell a story—funny, heartwarming, sad, whatever—about this great city. This week, Ophira Eisenberg recounts a tearful encounter on the subway.

One of the things I love about living in New York is that you can cry in public and nobody cares, no one bothers you, no one asks if you're all right—nothing. You are basically part of the landscape. If I were to walk down a public street of the town [where] I grew up in Calgary, Canada, crying, someone would call an ambulance. But in New York you're allowed to express yourself however you feel, and I have found myself many times crying on the subway. Sometimes you're overstressed; sometimes you're crying because we're all humans and we need to connect and the city is full of people who are not connecting.

I was crying on the A/C/E line, which I always say is my favorite to cry on because it is the saddest line—the blue line. I looked up and, by accident, caught the eye of a woman sitting across from me. She was also crying. And we looked at each other and I could just see this moment where we thought, What should we do? Should we hug, or should we high-five, or should we start talking and try to make a connection?

And then, we both did what you do—we turned to the side and ignored each other. And we continued to cry. And I remember thinking, This is so weird. I think there should be a one-crier-per-car law, because this woman's getting in my space.

Ophira Eisenberg hosts the Moth StorySLAM! tonight at the Bell House at 8pm ($8). She also hosts NPR radio show Ask Me Another.